E-Rank or SSS-Rank: I Awakened a Skill That Shouldn't Exist-Chapter 73: Tryst Guild Trial (Part Two)

Chapter 73

The man tried to pull his hand away, but it wouldn’t budge. Panic flickered in his eyes. This didn’t make sense. Wasn’t only the leader supposed to be A-rank? The rest were B-rank at best. Even if the young man before him was A-rank, his grip strength was unnatural—monstrous even.

Aiden Han looked at him calmly.

"Aiden," Han said softly.

Aiden understood immediately and released the man’s hand, stepping beside Han without another word.

"What happened in the interrogation room?" Silver Wing asked.

Aiden shrugged then replied.

Based on his words, he provoked the interrogator. When the guy attacked him, he retaliated. Ended with the interrogator knocked out cold.

Silver Wing checked the CCTV footage. Sure enough, Aiden wasn’t lying—both interrogators lay limp on the floor.

His frown deepened. A similar incident had just occurred in the adjacent interrogation room. The doors creaked open as Ron, Clara, and Ronan stepped out. Each had taken down their interrogators. Clara had been asked a ridiculous question. Ron’s simply tried to exert pressure and got a broken nose for it. In Ronan’s case, silence was mistaken for defiance—the interrogator attacked without warning. Ronan responded in kind, leaving the man unconscious.

"These people... they shouldn’t be called heroes," one of the mayors muttered. "They’re villains in disguise."

"Spineless heroes who bully the weak and can’t even protect their own city," added a thin, sharp-faced mayor—clearly referencing the recent catastrophe in Serenya. Han’s jaw twitched.

"You take that back," Han said coldly.

The mayor scoffed. "What are you going to do? Act rashly in front of one of the A6? You’ll regret it. You should be grateful you’re even alive in this world."

He spoke boldly, believing the presence of a high-ranking authority figure would protect him. He couldn’t have been more wrong.

Aiden shook his head slowly, pity in his eyes. Han was still grieving what happened in Serenya—and this fool chose to provoke him.

Han’s gaze darkened. His eyes turned a deep, glowing red.

The mayor’s smirk vanished. He tried to shut his eyes, but it was too late. Screaming, he clutched his head and collapsed, writhing in pain on the floor.

"Stop it!" Silver Wing shouted.

But Han didn’t. Not yet. If Silver Wing had said what the mayor did, he’d have suffered the same fate.

The bald-headed man near them twitched, ready to act—but just a subtle motion from him, and the rest of Han’s team turned their gaze to him. He froze. Why am I afraid... of a bunch of upstarts? he thought, shivering involuntarily.

Eventually, Han stopped.

Silver Wing, voice grim, ordered them all detained until he could determine an appropriate punishment.

"Is this where we begin the attack?" Aiden whispered, tension thick in the air.

Han shook his head. "Not yet. We draw no more attention."

They were each placed in separate holding cells in a prison built specifically for Awakeners—reinforced to prevent escape.

Han sat on a cushioned bench in his cell, his thoughts heavy. He’d been so close... just a moment more and that mayor would have died.

I need to control my anger, Han reminded himself, taking deep breaths as he sat in his cell. His emotions were still simmering from earlier, but he couldn’t afford to act recklessly—not when his actions could endanger the others.

Aiden’s voice echoed through the corridor, muttering curses as he paced back and forth in his cell.

"He really doesn’t like being caged," Han muttered to himself, understanding all too well. None of them did. But Han needed time to think, to plan. He wouldn’t jeopardize them all out of pride or impulse.

Just then, three figures entered the holding area. One of them, a young man with striking blue hair, walked with quiet confidence.

"That’s him," one of the guards said, nudging the blue-haired man. "Kael, check out the latest group of prisoners. Caused a real mess for the higher-ups."

Kael blinked, surprised. "They gave even the leaders trouble?"

"See for yourself," the man replied, leading him forward.

They passed by Aiden, who was still pacing and grumbling under his breath. Then Ron, who was doing push-ups as if he were in a gym rather than a high-security cell.

Does that guy even know he’s in jail? Kael thought, baffled.

Next was Clara, sitting in silence with her eyes closed, her posture straight and elegant. She radiated composure and nobility.

She looks like royalty...

Then came Ronan, expression blank, eyes briefly flickering toward them before closing again like none of this concerned him.

That one... he feels familiar, Kael thought, narrowing his eyes. Where have I seen him before?

"And here’s the insane guild leader," the guard said, pointing to a man whose back was turned to them.

Han slowly turned, sensing their presence. His blue eyes locked with Kael’s—and Kael froze.

His heart nearly stopped. No way... that’s the Fire God!

He remembered that day at Small Light Park—the devastating power, the flames that had saved so many lives. Kael had thought he’d never see him again. Yet here he was, locked up and labeled a criminal.

Upstart? Kael screamed internally. Upstart, my foot!

Han raised a brow at Kael’s stunned expression.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Kael blurted out unable to keep it in any longer.

---

Meanwhile, just outside the Preston City entrance, four men in red armor stood at attention, their eyes fixed on the cloaked figure a few meters away.

The man wore pitch-black robes reinforced like armor, his face hidden beneath a hood. Strands of red hair peeked out beneath it.

"What do you think a Dark Emissary is doing here?" one of the Red Vanguard whispered.

"I don’t know," another replied, awe in his voice. "But it’s an honor just being assigned to him. The Dark Emissaries are legendary."

"Still... his actions are strange," a third said, watching nervously.

The Dark Emissary was drawing a massive circular symbol on the ground, etched with strange glyphs and ancient markings. With a wave of his hand, several beast cores floated into place around the circle, each one glowing faintly.

He began chanting in a tongue long forgotten, his body levitating above the circle. Then, with a firm motion, he pointed at the glyphs and uttered a single word:

"Activate."

The beast cores cracked violently, unleashing bursts of raw energy that surged into the circle. Sparks flew. The air shimmered—and then, with a low hum, space itself began to distort.

A portal began to form, glowing red and pulsing omninously .

The Red Vanguard men audibly gulped.

"What kind of human... can open a portal on their own?" one whispered.

But the emissary wasn’t done.

He clenched his fist. "Break." ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

Cracks spidered across the portal’s surface. The energy became erratic as it becomes unstable. The red-armored men paled.

"If a red portal breaks..." one muttered, "the result would be catastrophic..."

Hope he knew what he’s doing.

The Dark Emissary’s gaze lifted to the massive building of the Silver Guild in the distance. A slight, chilling smile tugged at his lips.

"The Silver Guild has always been a thorn in the side of Project: Ultimate," he whispered. "By the end of today... there will be no more Silver Guild."

To be continued...